Thursday, November 18, 2010

Good Carbs vs. Bad Carbs

Before I go on with this post...I thought I'd let you know that I still haven't found my necklace. I find myself patting my chest multiple times a day for it and its not there. Even my kids noticed it was gone :(

So moving on.....

After boot camp on Monday, one of the nutritionist at my gym was offering a free seminar on carbs. I pretty much know all there is to know about nutrition and diet but I thought I would check it out anyways. I ended up learning 1 new thing (that dairy is considered a simple carb!), so I'm glad I stuck around for it. Anyways, I thought I would share with you all the difference between good carbs and bad carbs, what counts as a serving, and what are "good" carbs to eat.

First of all, carbs are the best fuel and energy for your body. The amount of carbs you should eat daily really depends on your fitness goals and activity level. Obviously if you are trying to lose weight, you should be at the lower end of the spectrum. But if you are trying to maintain up your endurance, or are training hard, you should be eating more carbs. When carbs are not used (when you eat too much for your activity level) they are stored in the liver or are directly converted into fat. Bad bad bad. So what you want to do it eat the amount of carbs that you need to attain whatever goals you have. The recommended daily allowance is 30g-200g. That is a HUGE variance. Again, that is based on your fitness goals and because we all metabolise carbs differently.

For me, my goal is weight loss. But because I am so active, I really can eat about 60g per day- or 2 servings of "good" carbs a day. Example of "good: carbs are: Oats, Grains, beans/lentils, whole wheat, brown rice or pasta, and sweet potatoes. Here is a list of foods- each one is 30g of carbs, or one serving.

So for me, because I want to lose weight I can have 1-2 of those things per day. Preferably before 4pm. That's one thing I have changed- no carbs at dinner! And let me tell you, I have noticed a difference already. It's like all the bloat is gone and my stomach is much flatter!

The "bad" carbs are simple carbs- carbohydrates that instantly turn to sugar in your body. You want to try and limit simple carbs in your diet as much a possible. This includes: ANYTHING white, fruit, honey, sugar, candy, ice cream, any dairy, and chocolate. You also need to keep an eye out for the amount of sugar in salad dressings- they need to be 3g or less!! And try and keep your fat content down; use cooking spray instead of oil, no butter, and lean proteins!

So there you have it- your crash course in good vs. bad carbs! Hope you learned something new.